A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Skin, mucous membranes
- Eyes: sclerae (white part of the eye); atypical eye movement?
- Rigidity (muscle rigidity)?
- Auscultation (listening) of the heart [due todifferential diagnoses: ischemic or hemorrhagic infarcts].
- Examination of the lungs
- [due topossible secondary diseases:
- Aspiration pneumonia (pneumonia caused by inhalation of foreign substances (often stomach contents)).
- Pneumonia (pneumonia)
- Respiratory insufficiency (respiratory failure; disorder of external (mechanical) respiration)]
- Auscultation (listening) to the lungs [pneumonia].
- Bronchophony (checking the transmission of high-frequency sounds; the patient is asked to pronounce the word “66” several times in a pointed voice while the doctor listens to the lungs)[increased sound conduction due to pulmonary infiltration/compaction of lung tissue (e.g. e.g. in pneumonia) the consequence is, the number “66” is better understood on the diseased side than on the healthy side; in case of decreased sound conduction (attenuated or absent: e.g. in pleural effusion, pneumothorax, emphysema). The result is, the number “66” is barely audible to absent over the diseased part of the lung, because the high-frequency sounds are strongly attenuated]
- [due topossible secondary diseases:
- Examination of the abdomen (abdomen)
- Inspection (viewing).
- Neurological examination
- [due tosymptoms:
- Ataxia (disturbance in the sequence of movement).
- Chorea (involuntary rapid sweeping movements).
- Dysarthria (speech disorders)
- Coordination disorders]
- [due todifferential diagnoses: see “differential diagnoses”/psyche – nervous system]
- [due tosecondary diseases: dementias of all kinds]
- [due tosymptoms:
- Psychiatric examination
- [due tosymptoms and sequelae:
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Insomnia (sleep disorders)
- Lack of concentration
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder]
- [due todifferential diagnosis:
- Psychosis]
- [due tosymptoms and sequelae:
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.